collendeb



4(No Model.) 2 sheets-sheet 2 Hl. W.' GOLLBNDER. P001. BACK; No.296.136. Patented- ,Apr. l, 1884.

'FIC-L3.

` 'L versus, Hammam, wmnmn. n. c,

" j l balls from one shelf to the next below and so UNITED STATESvPATENT @Erica HUGH W. coLLENDEE, or NEW YoEx, N. Y.

`POOL-RAGK.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent NO. 296,136, dated April l,1884.

Application filed February 13, 1884. (No model.) 4 l To all?, whom itmay cul/werft:

Be it known that I, HUGH W. GOLLENDEE, of New York city, in the countyof New York, andState of New York, have invented certain newand usefulImprovements `in Pool-Racks; and I do hereby declare that the followingis a full, clear, and exact description thereof,

reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of thisspecification.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in thatclassortype of l pool-ball racks in which the contrivance is adapted toautomaticallydischarge the con- Q l tents of all the contained balls,when required, .l 15

` the game kceperor marker carries the col into any suitable receptacleor tray in which lected balls to the pool-table for replacement,

and to that speciesof said class of pool-racks in which this end isaccomplished by the roll` ing of the balls from one shelf down onto thenext below, and` thence so on down from the lowermost shelf intothewtray or receptacle.

` Previous to my invention pool-racks of this species have been devisedin which, however, in order to` effect the discharge thus of the on downthrough the medium of connecting passage-ways from` one shelf to anotherarrangedat the 'sides of the rack, ithas been necl 30 essary to have allthe shelves pivoted so as to tip endwise to acquire the necessaryObliquity to set the balls rolling and to bring theend of the shelvesinto communication with the latteral passage-ways and `to provide theapparatus with a more or less complex mechanism for effecting andcontrolling the tipping of the shelvesand their replacement in ahorizontal position for reuse, Ste.

I propose by my invention to provide for use anautomaticallyfdischarging pool-rack in which, while the discharge `ofthe balls `shall beeffected by their rolling from one shelf to the nextbelow and soon down, the construction shall be exceedingly simple,economic of manufacture, efficient in operation, and not at all liableto get out of order; and to these main ends and objects my inventionconsists, essentially, in the combination, with a suitable frameprovided with vertical passage-ways at each side, of a set of shelveshaving the bal1 supporting4 surfaces inclined alternately in oppositedirections and adapted to be moved up and down bodily, so as to bringthe lowermost end of each shelf into proper communication with thelateral passage-ways, so as to permit the balls to` roll down over theseries of inclined surfaces, the combination and arrangement of theparts being such that when the set of shelves is in its lowermostposition the balls cannot escape from any ofthe shelves into thelateralpassageways or com'- munications extending from each shelf to the nextone below it, allI as will be hereinafter more fully explained.

To enable those skilled in the art to make `and use my invention, I willnow proceed to illustrated my invention as carried out in that s formwhich is the best now` known to me and in which I have so farsuccessfully practiced it.

In thedrawings, Figure 1 is a front view; Fig. 2, a vertical section atthe line m x of Fig. l; Fig. 3, a horizontal section at the line y y ofFig. 1,'and Fig. 4 a vertical cross-section taken in a plane representedby the line e zat Fig. 3.

In the several :figures the same parts will be found designated by thesame letters of reference, and while at Figs. 1 and 2 the set of shelvesis illustrated inv its lowermost or normal position, in` Fig. 4 I haverepresented the shelves as raised up to their highermost position andthat in which the balls on any or all of the shelves will roll down overthe series of shelf-surfaces and discharge themselves at the bottom ofthe rack. e

The main frame or frame-work of the contrivance is composed, as clearlyshown, of a back board, A, a base board or bottom, B, a top or cap, C,and two hollow side portions or pilasters, D D, each of which hasopenings or perforations at its inner side communicating with the spacesbetween the shelves of the ball-rack. The rack of movable shelves iscomposed, as shown, of a series of shelf-like boards or supports, E,connected together at their two front corners by vertical strips or barsa, and at their back edges, near their ends, by vertical barsor stripsb, so that all the shelves `E IOO must move together. Preferably thecontrivance is provided with a sort of eccentric but-- ton or lifter, c,arranged as shown, and provided with a Tlshaped handle, d, by which theoperator can conveniently raise them and let them fall.

E/ are two stops, arranged, preferably, as shown, the function of whichis to stop the ascent of the set of shelves, when the latter may belifted at just the proper elevation to bring theshelf-surfaces intoproper relationship with the apertures or openings communicating withthe hollow pilasters D, in a manner and for a purpose to be presentlyexplained.

As will be clearly seen, each one of the shelves E has its top surfacedished out at e, the depression or dishing being greatest at one end andleast at the other, so that in longitudinal section (as seen at Fig. 4)the surface on which the balls rest in each shelf .is gradually inclineddownwardly from one end of the shelf to the other, and the arrangementof these inclined surfaces in the series of shelves E is such (as willbe seen at Fig. 4) that the balls will tend to roll along on or settletoward one end of the shelves successively in op posite directions. Theset'or gang of shelves thus constructed and framed together is held inplace within the frame-work, preferably, by means of the overlappingmoldings or fillets G, arranged at either side of the contrivance.

By reference now to Fig. 2, it will be seen that the apertures oropenings in the left-hand pilaster D come alternately above a shelfhaving the lowermost portion of its ball-supporting surface adjacent toone of said openings and a shelf having its highermost ball-supportingsurface adjacent to one of said openings 5 and by reference to Fig. 4 itwill be seen that a sort of inclined or chute-like roadway, h, which ispreferably padded or cloth covered, extends in a sloping direction fromthe outermost portion ofthe passage-way in the pilaster, at a pointabout level with the bottom of the uppermost ball-opening, downwardly inan inclined or curved direction to the lowermost edge ofthe nextaperture or opening below, and that by this means a ball which may passinto the uppermost aperture can fall or descend only to and must passout of the pilaster again at the next opening below. In this manner aball or balls passing, for instance, from the second shelf into thetopmost aperture (seen at Fig. 2) will descend therefrom and make itsexit from the next aperture below onto the higher portion of theinclined ball-surface of the shelf, communicating with said loweraperture. (See Fig. 4.) Thence the said ball or balls, should it or theydescend onto the lastnamed shelf toward its opposite end, would enter anaperture in the other pilaster substantially opposite to that at whichit or they entered, from which the ball or balls would descend one stepto the next lower aperture,

*and thence out onto the highermost portion of an opposite end of thenext shelf, and so on, assuming, of course, the shelves to be in theproper relative position with the apertures in the pilasters to permitthis operation.

At Fig. 4 the arrows on the drawings indicate the line of travel whichthe ball or balls must take in passing fromthe topmost to the lowermostshelf of the gang, and thence out from the rack into any suitablereceptacle or tray. In escaping from the rack, all the balls of coursemake their exit from the lowermost aperture in the right-hand pilaster,and onto a cushioned or cloth-covered inclined surface or roadway, H.From this point of discharge they may descend immediately into anysuitable tray, triangle, or other collecting device, which may beproperly constructed to prevent th possibility of any ball falling onthe door; or, if deemed expedient, the lower portion of the rack, in thevicinty of the discharge-surface H, may be provided with some suitablefender or guard-like device.

From what has already been explained, together with the. drawings, itwill be understood that in, the use of my improved contrivance it isonly necessary, after the recepon any or all of the shelves will passfrom the latter in opposite directions into the respective passage-waysforming communications between the adjacent ends of the successiveshelves, and, descending through the entire series, will -all make theirexit through the lowermost apertureof the right-hand pilaster, andthence into the tray or receptacle.

Of course, the arrangement as to the communicating passage-ways, and asto the alternate Obliquity of the ball-supporting surfaces of. theshelves, might be reversed and many changes or modiiications might bemade in the details of the structure shown, and without materiallychanging its principles of construction and mode of operation, and hencewithout departing from the essence of my invention.

The lifter device is applied merely for convenience, and the gang ofshelves might be conveniently operated by hand in the absence of anysuch device.

Of course, the lowermost part of the poolrack, instead of being devisedas shown, may be so modified in form and structure as to adapt it tothereception, or to the use in connection with it, of any sort of approvedor improved combined tray and triangle or other ball-collectingcontrivance that it may be desired to use in connection with myinvention. I do not therefore wish to limit my claim of invention eitherto the precise details of construction shown and described, nor to theprecise construction of the pool-rack in any particulars which are notessential to the essence or distinguishing feature of my invention,

IOC

ric

which, it will be understood, `consists in the use together of a set oflifting'ball-shelves adapted to cause the balls to settle or roll towardopposite ends of the successive shelves of suitable connectingpassage-ways arranged adjacent to the ends of the shelves andcommunicating therewith `only when the shelves are placed in theposition in which it is de signed they shall be emptied of theircontents. This end could of course be accomplished in substantially thesame manner by having the obstruction to the exit of the balls froinanyone shelf located at the upper part of the ballspace, instead of at thelower part, by having the shelves in such case lowered when desired todischarge their contents, instead of elevated, as shown in the presentoase.

Having `now so fully explained the principle and *operation of myinvention as to enable those skilled in the art to practice the 2o ofwhich are inclined toward opposite ends of 25 the successive shelves,side passages or conduits forming communications between the adjacentends of alternate pairs of shelves only when said shelves are set inaproper position designed to effect the automatic discharge of 3o theircontents, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

In testimony whereof -I have hereunto set my hand this 2nd day ofFebruary, 1884.

H. W. COLLENDER. In presence of- JACOB FELBEL, L. F. SiLvoX.

